Administration Practice

Table of Contents

Administrator Roles

 

MetaField contains multiple pre-loaded roles within the system. The permissions and the users assigned to these roles can be modified by those who have access to the Security tab within Administration. Custom roles can be created within MetaField as well.

  • Administrator Role - Has access to all of the modules in MetaField, including Administration and Security to monitor user access and permissions.

The “Sandbox” MetaField environment is a shared environment used by multiple customers of Agile Frameworks. Agile Frameworks maintains user access in the Sandbox; therefore, the Administrator role is reserved for Agile Frameworks employees in the Sandbox. All other Sandbox users are given Business Administrator access (Has access to all modules of MetaField, including Administration with the exception of the Security Tab).

Once your private MetaField environment is obtained, users assigned to the Administrator Role can provide permission to the Security tab (or other permissions) to the Business Administrator role or other roles as necessary.

The practice exercises are meant for users who will be assigned Administrator or Business Administrator access in their production environment, and any other users interested in the functionality of the Administration module.

The exercises below are divided into two areas:

  • Setup Tasks - Tasks generally performed prior to the release of MetaField to end users. 
  • Maintenance Tasks - Potential ongoing tasks of an Administrator or Business Administrator.

While working on these exercises, utilize the Help feature in MetaField (located in the upper right corner) to answer any questions.

Setup Tasks

1.

From the MetaField main menu, navigate to Administration.

  1. Hide the left hand navigation by clicking the button in the upper lefthand corner of the screen.
2.On the General > Settings page, find the setting for the Time Zone and set it to the correct Time Zone for your company
3.

On the General > Locations page, add, edit, and delete locations, using the instructions below:

  1. Add
    1. Add one Location for use in Field Density only.
    2. Add one Location for use in all 5 areas.
  2. Edit
    1. Select the Edit control for one of the locations you added. Change the name of the location.
    2. Edit areas from the grid on the main page for the other location you added.
    3. Choose one location and deactivate it by clicking the square deactivate control.
    4. Change the filter at the top of the page from Active to Inactive.
    5. Find that same Location and reactivate it by clicking the triangular activate control.
  3. Delete the 2 Locations you added earlier by clicking the "x" delete control.
4.

Add a Supplier for Concrete Materials under General > Suppliers / Mix Designs. When you add a Supplier, you are able to add any related Plants and/or Mix Designs.

  1. Add at least one Plant and one Mix Design for the Supplier you just added.
  2. Assign the Concrete Material to this Plant and Mix Design.
  3. Optional: To see how Mix Designs can also be imported from a .csv file, click the Import Mix Designs button and review the Upload popup. Click the Cancel button to close that popup.
5.Review the options on the Density Testing > Settings page and set the Minimum and Maximum Specified Compaction and whether Maximum Specified Compaction is required.
6.Under Density Testing > Nuclear Gauges, add at least one Gauge for testing.
7.

Under Density Testing > Drive Cylinders, add at least one Cylinder.

8.On the Density Testing > Standards page, add a value to the list.
9.

Create a Specimen Size. To do this:

  1. On the LIMS / Samples > Specimen Sizes page, select Add Specimen Size.
  2. Enter a name and associate with at least one Concrete / Grout / Mortar Sample Type. (You will use this same Specimen Size (and Sample Type) in the Concrete Specimens step that follows.)
10.

Create a default set of Concrete Specimens. To do this:

  1. On the Concrete / Grout Mortar > Specimen Settings page, select Add Specimen Setting.
    1. Select the Sample Type related to the new Specimen Size you added in the previous step.
    2. Select your newly added Specimen Size.
    3. Enter all other required fields.
    4. Select Add Specimen Setting again, and repeat as many times as needed until your settings are reflective of a typical “Set” of Specimens for a given Sample Type and Specimen Size combination.
    5. Optional: Verify that your new Specimen Size and default set show up when logging a Concrete Sample in MetaField, Field > Concrete.
    6. When you are done with this exercise:
      1. On the Concrete / Grout / Mortar > Specimen Settings page, deactivate the settings you entered.
      2. On the Sample Tracking > Specimen Sizes page, deactivate or delete the value you added.
11.On the Reports > Global Settings page, update the Field Report Email Message or Non-Field Report Email Message. Click Save.
12.

On the Reports > Report Types page, review the different options within each tab (Activity Reports, Lab Test Reports, Discrete Reports, Uploaded Reports, Consolidated Reports).

  1. Select the Uploaded Reports tab.
  2. Select Add Upload Report Setting.
  3. Review the Add Report Settings form, fill in the required fields. Click Save.
13.

On the Reports > Digital Signatures page, add a new configuration.

  1. Review the digital signature configuration fields
  2. Add a new digital signature configuration.
    1. Go back to the Report Settings page.
    2. Select the Discrete Reports tab.
    3. click the edit icon for one of the discrete reports
    4. Select the digital signature configuration that was just added.
    5. Select Cancel to close the window.
14.

Optional: You may test both Report Settings, Digital Signature configurations and Report Labels by creating a report within MetaField.

  1. You may test the email message setting by emailing yourself a report from Delivery.
15.

This steip in the Administration Practice Exercise is meant to walk you through the DIY Engine. If you will not be in charge of Form and Report Design for your organization, you may skip this section and move to #16.


On the Activity > Forms page, create one new Group and add a single Form with custom fields to that group (this example will show you how to create Discrepancy Fields on a form which will allow you to track through Discrepancy Reporting within QC). To do this

  1. Add a group.  Select the Add Group button.

    1. Select the new group you just added. NOTE: when selected, notice the parent (Group) to child (Form) relationship among the grids. Based on the Group you select, the Forms grid will display the forms that fall under the selected group.
    2. Add a form. Select the Add Form button.
    3. Select the Form you just added by clicking on the form name. Notice that you will navigate to a new page called Form Designer.
      1. NOTE: By default, Activity Name, Date, and Technician fields are added to the new Form. (The minimum fields you can have on a form).
    4. Change the label of the "Technician" field to "Observed By", by selecting the edit (pencil) icon on the respective field.
    5. Add a new Field by selecting the Add Field button.
      1. Add a Label. (Example: Were there any discrepancies?)
      2. Choose a Field Type: (Example: Yes / No)
      3. Choose the field to be required or not (Example: Check True)
      4. Under Settings, select Add. Select the Discrepancy Indicator type. Select Save.
    6. Add another new Field by selecting the Add Field button.
      1. Add a Label. (Example: Discrepancy Description)
      2. The system name DiscrepancyDescription will automatically populate upon saving.
      3. Choose a Field Type: (Example: Text Area)
      4. Choose the field to be required.
    7. Add another new Field by selecting the Add Field button.
      1. Add a Label. (Example: Status)
      2. Edit the system name to DiscrepancyStatus (this will allow these values to be tracked within Discrepancy Reporting).
      3. Choose a Field Type: (Example: Pick List)
      4. Choose the field to be required.
      5. Add a two Options by selecting Add under options.
        1. Provide a Label: (Example:  Open) Save.
        2. Provide a Label: (Example:  Closed) Save. 
      6. Add a Field Setting by selecting Add under settings.
        1. Select the type Discrepancy Status Close Indicator
        2. Select a Value. (Closed) Save.
      7. Add another Field Setting.
        1. Select the type Discrepancy Status Open Indicator
        2. Select a Value. (Open) Save. 
    8. Add one more new field by selecting the Add Field button.
      1. Add a Label: (Example: Resolution)
      2. Add a system name ResolutionDescription (this will allow these values to be tracked within Discrepancy Reporting).
      3. Select Type: (Example: Text Area)
      4. Choose the field to be required
      5. Add a Visualization Rule by selecting Edit. 
      6. Select the "CONTAIN" function. double click "Field" within the expression and double click "DiscrepancyStatus" in the available fields in the right column. Double click "Value" within the expression, select "DiscrepancyStatus" from the available fields, notice both options will appear below. Double click "Closed". Select Done. Save.
    9. Add one final new field by selecting the Add Field button.
      1. Add a Label: (Example: Resolution Date)
      2. Add a system name ResolutionDate (this will allow these values to be tracked within Discrepancy Reporting).
      3. Select Type: (Example: Date)
      4. Choose the field to be required
      5. Choose to show in Field and QC, and also allow editing.
      6. Add a Visualization Rule by selecting Edit. 
      7. Add the same rule as you did above.
  2. Create the Report
    1. Select the Report Designer button.
    2. Select Add New Report.
    3. Provide Name, Code, and Default Title to create your report. Select Create.
    4. From the Report Designer screen, notice all of the other Report Settings that can be configured for a report.
    5. Add Elements, Datasets, and Properties to your report.
    6. Click Save (disk icon).
  3. Look back to the Forms grid. Notice the status of the form you've been working on is in "Draft". This means that only you can see and test this form throughout Field. This helps limit Field users from using a form in production that is not ready. Once you feel your form is tested throughout Field and QC, and ready for production, you can change the status of the form to "Active" by selecting the pencil icon. Once Active, other users can then see and enter in activity records using this form.
    1. Alternatively you can use "Test" status to allow users that were grated a role with the "Test Forms" permission to view and edit the form in Field.
  4. Navigate from the home screen to Field > Activity. Locate the activity form you created by selecting the Group that you created, and select the form within the group.
    1. Note: You can complete an activity form with no internet connection by selecting Offline.
    2. Create a discrepancy. Give the discrepancy a description and select "Open" for the status. Save. Notice you will get confirmation that your activity form was saved and you will be provided an Activity Number.
    3. Select Create Report. The filters should be pre-selected with the form you just filled out. Select the Create Report button.
    4. You will see the form you filled out available to select. Select the form. Select Next.
    5. Select Send Email. Put your email address in the "To" field and enter a Message. Select Submit. You will get a validation prompt saying that your report was saved successfully.
    6. Alternatively you can create the same Activity report by selecting "Field Reports" from the Field home screen.
    7. Select Home and then select MetaField Home.
  5. Now navigate from home to Quality Control > Activity.
    1. Locate you project. Select View Activities. If your project is not under the recent Projects grid, search for it using the search criteria and select Search.
    2. Select the Discrepancy Report button. Notice the discrepancy you just created appears on this report. If you don't see it, click the Activity date column header to resort from newest to oldest.
  6. Navigate back to Field > Activity.
    1. Select Manage Open Discrepancies.
    2. Locate your Activity by scrolling down to find the form and activity. Alternatively you can enter in search criteria and search for it.
    3. Select your Activity. Update the status to closed. Notice that the Resolution fields that you applied visualization rules to now show up.
    4. Enter in a resolution description and a resolution date.
    5. Select Next in the lower right hand corner. Select Save.
  7. Optional: Navigate back to Quality Control > Activity.
    1. Open up the Discrepancy Report again and notice there is more information populated on the report.
16.In LIMS / Samples > Labs page, add a new Lab.
17.Optional: From the MetaField home page, navigate to LIMS > Concrete Work Queues and view where the value appears in the dropdown list for Lab.
18.Deactivate or Delete the Lab value you just added.
19.Add values to additional lists used within the MetaField LIMS module.
20.Optional: Exit Administration and Navigate to LIMS > Concrete / Grout / Mortar Work Queues > Enter Test Results and view the dropdowns to see the new values you just added (for Capping Method, Remarks, Fracture Types, or Beam Failure Location).
21.

On the LIMS / Samples > Soil Proctors, add one of each of the four proctor-related values (which will be available for use elsewhere in MetaField):

  1. Standards (both density and moisture), Source, and Origin values are all available in dropdowns when adding a Proctor.
  2. Method values are available in a dropdown when performing a One-Point Density Test.
22.Optional: View your new values in the dropdowns in the Add Proctor screen in LIMS, and in the One-Point Test screen when adding a One-Point Density Test in Field.
23.Delete or Deactivate 1 of the values you just added in the LIMS / Samples > Soil Proctors.
24. 

Optional: On the LIMS / Samples > Test Forms page, create one new Test Group and add a single Test with custom fields (note Lab tests and Lab Reports are built the same as Activity forms).

  1. Select Add Group.
  2. Select the new group that was added. Select Add Test Form.
  3. Provide a Name. Click the pencil icon next to Sample Form in the Settings grid. Select a Sample Form from the Value Dropdown. Select Save.
  4. Optional: Add additional settings (duration, test cost, etc.)
25.

 On the LIMS / Samples > Compressive Strength Alerts, add compressive strength alerts  to Cast Cylinders. Select Add Alert.

  1. Select a Sample Type, Specified Test Age, From Test Age, To Test Age, and Alert Level (%).
  2. Optional: Select the Break Remarks. Save.
  3. Select Add Alert again, and repeat as many times as needed until your settings are reflective of a typical “Set” of Specimens for a given Sample Type and test age combination.
26.

On the LIMS / Samples > Equipment page, Add an Equipment type.

  1. Select Add Equipment Type.
  2. Provide a Name and select Save.
  3. Select the Equipment Type just added and select Add Equipment.
  4. Provide all relevant information (make sure the Calibrated value is set to "yes" for this example) and select Save.
  5. Notice how equipment can be filtered using the filters above the equipment grid.
  6. Select the Equipment just added and select Add Equipment Calibration.
  7. Provide all relevant information and select Save.


Maintenance Tasks

1.

Add Soil Classifications on the Density Testing > Soil Classifications page

  1. When adding the first Soil Classification, enter different Moisture Tolerance values than those listed at the top of the page.
  2. When adding the next Soil Classification, alter only the Lower Moisture Tolerance value.
  3. Optional: View your new Soil Classifications by creating a Proctor in MetaField, Lab > Add Proctor, ensuring the values appear in the dropdown list for Soil Classification.
  4. When you are done with this step, Deactivate or Delete the Soil Classifications you just added.
2.Add a Draft Mix Design value to Field > , then activate it in Administration. To do this:
  1. Go to MetaField, Field > Sampling and add a new Concrete Cast Cylinder Sample (select Add Sample within the Concrete / Grout / Mortar section).
  2. When you get to the Supplier field, select a Supplier from available options. When the Mix Design field appears, type in a new value for Mix Design (one not available on the list of choices). This value will show in red text - meaning it will be a Draft value in Administration once the test is saved.
  3. Continue to enter values for all required fields until you can save your Concrete Sample.
  4. After saving, return to Administration, General > Suppliers / Mix Designs.
  5. Change the filter of the Mix Designs list to Draft and locate the value you entered in Field.
  6. Activate the value by changing its status from Draft to Active.
  7. When finished with this exercise, Deactivate or Delete the Mix Design value you activated.